20:44, 2 October 2017

Azerbaijani power agents report liberation of all detained gays

Flags of Azerbaijan and LGBT. Photo by Ghvinotsdaati, Wikimedia Commons

All the 83 LGBTs detained in Baku are back at large, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) have reported; however, advocates could not confirm this information.

Rights defenders had reported more than 50 homosexuals and transgenders detained in Baku and exposed to violence – beatings, electric shocks and head-shaving. In total, according to rights defenders, about 150 persons were detained.

On September 20, the MIA explained the detentions by townspeople’s complaints about gay prostitution.

The Azerbaijani MIA and GPO have denied the rights defenders’ claims that LGBTs had been persecuted because of their sexual orientation, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The defence of the detained LGBTs’ rights is coordinated by Samed Ragimli, a human rights lawyer. He doubts the above MIA’s and GPO’s information.

Another advocate from the group said that he with his colleague was defending 16 arrested persons. People of different professions, including waiters, barmen and stylists, are among his clients.

He could not compare the raids in Baku with severe gays’ repressions in Chechnya, but noted that "there has always been discrimination of sexual minorities in Azerbaijan."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Author: Faik Medjid

Source: CK correspondent